summary

Within the grace of extended enrollment, a young man confronts the frailty of his own soul. Though he had completed all academic requirements for graduation, he chose to remain within the protective walls of the university, fearing the cold, indifferent machinery of society. Defeated by the trials of job hunting, he sank into solitude and self-loathing, forced to reckon with the consequences of his own inaction. Clubs, part-time jobs, interviews, and the ever-dreaded “gakuchika” — all were masks, performances, fictions. He acknowledged his inadequacies, yet clung to the illusion of safety, extending his time as a student in a desperate bid for redemption. In time, he came to understand: while one may falsify the past, the future cannot be deceived. Whether this extension was a path to rebirth or merely another form of escape — that answer lies buried in his silence.

My Experience with Extended Enrollment (Half-Year Graduation Delay)

Extended enrollment is a system available at KEIO university that allows students to prolong their enrollment period. As the name suggests, it enables students to remain enrolled beyond the standard duration. According to the student portal:

Even if a fourth-year student has completed all the credits required for graduation, they may apply for extended enrollment. If approved, they can remain enrolled for up to two additional semesters, within the maximum period defined by Article 156 of the academic regulations (Article 169). However, full tuition must be paid.

During the approved extended enrollment period, the following conditions apply:

1. Students must comply with all university regulations.

2. The application can only be submitted once, and the approved graduation semester cannot be changed.

3. If a student withdraws during the approved semester, it will be considered a formal withdrawal.

4. Students must register for at least one course and make an effort to earn credits. 5. Students must remain enrolled during their final semester.

This system allows students to retain their student status, which can be beneficial. In reality,

it’s essentially a softened version of repeating a year(RYNEN-留年,"In Japan, extended enrollment is often perceived as a path taken by students who are considered to be underperforming) .

While a full year of enrollment isn’t required, tuition for one semester must still be paid.

In my case, I applied for extended enrollment after completing all required credits (note: even in this case, course registration/Application is mandatory.

Failure to do so may be interpreted as a lack of motivation and result in expulsion).

Although I had completed all my credits and submitted my graduation thesis, I chose to extend my enrollment for job hunting purposes—in other words,

I delayed graduation to continue searching for employment.

Here, I’d like to reflect on the reasons behind my decision and share my thoughts on the experience.

From my third to fourth year, I found job hunting to be extremely difficult and unpleasant, and I barely engaged in it.

I hadn’t done anything noteworthy during my university years, which made it hard to talk about my experiences when job interview.

I had to fabricate a cover story like a spy to fill in the gaps.

Even with a fabricated story, my lack of interpersonal experience and practice led to extreme nervousness during interviews.

I had only interacted with people outside my age group through part-time jobs—mostly as a prep school tutor or doing light labor(in japan "light labor" isn't actually light. it's bascially Day labor) through temp agencies—so I had only dealt with children and the elderly.

When I finally faced middle-aged professionals, my weaknesses became apparent.

Simply put, I lacked communication skills. To make excuses, my first year was during the height of COVID-19, and I didn’t set foot on campus for half a year.

Still, many students joined clubs regardless of the situation, so I clearly missed my fisrt moving. In the fall of my first year, I tried to join a random club, but the atmosphere was already established, and I felt out of place.

Having no athletic background from middle or high school, I found that I feel sorry for take one-on-one coaching.

I realized I needed at least basic physical ability for recreational activities—but it was too late.

Eventually, I quietly joined a club that met irregularly every other month.

I didn’t take on any responsibilities, but I attended regularly and understood the internal workings.

I felt guilty, but I used this experience as my “gakuchika” (student life highlight) in job applications.

Looking back, I had heard even before entering university that introverted personalities struggle in private liberal arts programs(in japan ,especially on the internet such as twitter,"liberal arts" often mocked up as "only stupid, instgram kind people,jocks apply").

I expected to feel isolated, but I feared it might affect my academics.

In the end, although I delayed graduation for job hunting,

I never failed a course(repeat semestwr-RYUNEN)

due to lack of credits.

I managed to graduate entirely on my own,I have endured that person without borrowing notes or past exams from others could pass the exam. My scores weren’t great, but that’s just because I’m not particularly smart.

I later learned that my department is considered one of the more demanding ones in terms of assignments. Perhaps due to COVID-19 limiting access to information, my cohort had two to three times the usual number of students.

However, independence alone doesn’t work in job hunting.

Like me, those without connections or information are disadvantaged not only academically but also in employment.

Nowadays, information is abundant online and on social media, but I lacked “living” information—how active my peers were, how seniors approached job hunting—because I had been avoiding it.

There’s a perception that many students at my university openly share their job hunting successes, but of course, many others don’t.

I didn’t want to find out what happens to people like me—those who did nothing for four years and lacked motivation or aptitude for job hunting.

I naïvely believed that attending a good university would automatically lead to a good job,as society belived so.

I only participated in one online internship with my preferred company in the fall of my third year.

(in japan there is even "one day" or sevaral days "internship" exist.

that's bacically information session of company and small group work.

how could they grade the candidates with such short meeting but since recruiter is ubermacht than students in japanese job hunting culture,no one think that's dosen't make sense.)

Around that time, I realized I had miscalculated the credits needed for graduation and was taking a full course load, leaving no time for job hunting.

Another excuse, perhaps.

Academically, I managed, but even by winter, I hadn’t started job hunting. When the job hunting season officially began in March, I finally applied to about a dozen well-known companies.

I was overconfident in my background and didn’t realize that is the down stair for failure—or rather, I ignored it.

Still, about three-quarters of my applications passed the document screening, which made me even more complacent.

My preferred company rejected me due to the SPI test(short resume,job interview and SPI test is the basis of employment examination.again,how could they grade the candidates with small poetry,which maybe generated by chat GPT or Ghostwriter and small talk,but still,it's japanese job-hunting) .

Even then, I thought I was just unlucky.

Naturally, I continued to fail interviews. In May and June, I rushed to apply to more companies, but it was too late.

I kept job hunting until August. Wearing a suit in the heat of summer(buisiness suits is uniform of job hunter), I visited offices for last-minute applications. Unprepared, I faced intense interviews.

Naturally, since I hadn't properly prepared for interviews, I ended up facing high-pressure interviews.

I even messed up questions that no one usually gets wrong.

I probably sweated more in the air-conditioned room than I did walking outside. After the interview, they explained the next steps, but I didn’t think I had passed.

So I was surprised to receive an offer almost immediately.

I debated whether to accept but ultimately declined.

It was my fault, but I had several reasons: losing a year to COVID, the company’s mediocre conditions, and the suspicious ease of getting accepted despite my poor performance.

I considered continuing job hunting until winter, but after checking multiple job sites and agencies, I realized the positions I wanted were no longer available.

At that point, I was torn between extending my enrollment for job hunting or graduating and searching as a “already graduated” applicant.

At the very least, I had tarnished my academic record and decided to continue relying on my parents financially.

At that moment, I believed I had resolved to throw myself into job hunting with full determination.

But of course, someone who extends their job search for vague reasons cannot maintain that resolve.

In the end, I skipped summer internships for the following year, quit my part-time job, and spent my days idly.

Since I had already earned all my credits by my third year, the only academic task left was writing my graduation thesis.

As for leisure, I put as much effort into it as my classmates who had already secured jobs, traveling to various places. In the winter of my fourth year, as the end of the year approached and my thesis neared completion, I was once again forced to face the dreaded job hunt. Before that, I had to decide whether to extend my enrollment or graduate.

While researching, I came across a rumor: When applying to companies, you must enter your personal information, including whether you are a "already graduate" or "expected to graduate in [year]." According to this rumor, selecting "already graduate" would result in automatic rejection.

Believing this unverified story, I chose to remain a student and continue feeding the university with tuition.

After the new year, with my thesis completed, I finally resumed job hunting properly.

This time, I focused on realistic options—not ideal companies, but ones I had a chance with.

I prepared answers to all possible interview questions using job hunting websites and applied to two or three times more companies than the previous year.

Compared to last year, my application success rate dropped significantly.

I even reapplied to companies I had interviewed with before, but some rejected me at the document stage, likely having blacklisted me.

One of the most difficult moments in interviews was when I was asked why I had delayed graduation.

I was fully aware that it was entirely my fault, but I needed to craft a reason that wouldn’t make me seem overly lazy or irresponsibly blame others. (In Japanese job hunting culture, shifting blame is taboo. Even if the failure was due to an accident, illness, or other misfortune, you’re expected to take full responsibility. The ultimate form of this mindset is akin to hara-kiri.)

This issue haunted me throughout the process. In the end, I had no choice but to tell the truth as it was. Whether the interviewer believed me or not, I made sure to emphasize that there were no academic issues, and that “through a twist of fate, I was able to encounter your company.”

Naturally, I had to research the company（which apply job interview) thoroughly to show genuine interest. Thanks to my completed thesis, I could explain my academic background in detail, which sometimes sparked interest. Eventually, I was connected to a company completely unrelated to those I applied to last year.

Using this “dark power,” I was able to finish job hunting early.

The company offered better conditions than the one that accepted me last year, so I accepted immediately. It was a similarly quick resolution, but the circumstances were entirely different.

### **Conclusion: You Should Avoid Delaying Graduation for Job Hunting**

I was fortunate to have support from my family, which made the delay possible.

But my success rate dropped to about two-thirds of the previous year

. My own mental weakness played a role, and I didn’t participate in internships or alumni visits/OB hōmon(Japan is a society built on connections. That’s precisely why alumni visits "OB hōmon" are so important.)

By meeting with alumni, you may even be able to bypass document screening or the first round of interviews—especially if you’re part of an athletic club.)before the job hunting season, so I didn’t feel I had grown at all compared to the previous year.

If you’re someone who can think and act independently, you can start preparing for next year’s job hunt as soon as you decide to delay graduation.

But the very reason I delayed was because I wasn’t that kind of person.

It may seem like I succeeded because I got into a better company than last year, but that’s only because I adjusted my expectations and aimed for realistic targets. Of course, family and friends’ support, luck, and timing all played a role.

Unlike schoolwork, where goals are clearly defined, job hunting requires you to set your own goals and take initiative.

If you lack confidence, it’s crucial to set achievable targets and finish job hunting within your fourth year.